Contributing to community regeneration

We believe that strong communities are built from within. This requires building the capacity and empowerment of people to transform their own community and involves partnerships and collaborative approaches between local workforces, town planners, governments and local businesses to address identified local community needs.

We have run programmes whereby, in return for their benefits, people have provided community services ranging from community kitchens to provide meals for disadvantaged people, creating community gardens, recycling overflow goods into jewellery and accessories, community radio and restoration of equipment for donation to community organisations and people in need.

We encourage the establishment of real projects that provide on-the-job training, work experience, mentoring, and potential for progression while concurrently renewing community facilities. We have seen examples of projects that provide fencing, housing refurbishment, building and construction, landscaping, graffiti removal, car washing, tree planting, golf course maintenance, and park and garden maintenance. We have seen how involvement in such projects fosters a sense of wellbeing by helping people to use their signature strengths, increase their sense of accomplishment and optimism, and improve their quality of life. We have seen the impact of regeneration from within on the ‘mood’ of the community. And we know that in times of high youth unemployment, such programmes can be essential in breaking cycles of intergenerational unemployment, poverty, early school leaving, crime and anti-social behavior.

Our vision is to extend our experience to develop small, replicable, and sustainable green enterprises that meet an identified social or community need. These enterprises will employ people, provide them with new skills, enable them to learn work behaviour and leadership skills, and provide opportunity for progression or ownership.

“We encourage the establishment of real projects that provide on-the-job training, work experience, mentoring, and potential for progression while concurrently renewing community facilities.”